AP PhotoColumbus' Steve Mason led all goalies with 10 shutouts this season.

DETROIT -- Columbus Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock would vehemently disagree with anyone who believes his team's chances of upsetting the Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the playoffs rest entirely on the 20-year-old shoulders of rookie goaltender Steve Mason.

"I think our whole franchise is under the radar,'' Hitchcock said. "I think teams still think it's the goalie only. I think there's players even here, for the Red Wings, that commented it's the goalie only.

"We're more than that. (Captain Rick) Nash is our lead force, he's the guy that makes us go, it's no different than (Pavel) Datsyuk and (Henrik) Zetterberg, they make their team go here.

"(Nash is) a very competitive guy, scores the big goal at the right time.''

The Red Wings have several players like that. What they haven't gotten this season is the kind of goaltending the 6-foot-4, 212-pound Mason has given the Blue Jackets. There is no doubt Columbus needs him to steal some games in a series that begins tonight at Joe Louis Arena.

"Anytime you're in the playoffs you want your goalie playing well, especially against a team like the Red Wings, with the offense they have,'' Mason said. "I'm going to have to do my job and keep their goals to a minimum, and our forwards and defensemen are going to have to do the rest.''

Mason, the odds-on favorite to win the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year, led all goalies with 10 shutouts, and his 2.29 goals-against average was second only to Boston's Tim Thomas.

Mason went 3-2 against Detroit, feels good about having played a couple of games at JLA -- which he called an intimidating place -- and insists he has no jitters heading into his first playoff game, which also is the inaugural postseason appearance for a franchise that began play in 2000-01.

"I'm more excited than anything. It's going to be a great experience,'' Mason said. "I'm not nervous at all.''

His counterpart, Detroit's Chris Osgood, has won two Stanley Cups as a starter and has 106 games of playoff experience but has struggled this season.

"We feel like we have an advantage (in goal) every time, it doesn't matter the opponent, the way (Mason) plays,'' Hitchcock said. "He's very competitive, he's resilient.''

He must draw on that resilience after fading a bit down the stretch. Mason went 2-3-3, with a 3.02 goals-against average and .883 save percentage in his past eight games.

"Down the stretch hasn't been quite the same for him,'' Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "He's had a real good first year, he's a real talented kid. We played him enough, we understand what he does, what his tendencies are. We're going to have to get some second chances.''

Getting traffic always is a key, perhaps even more so against a big goalie.

"It's more important to keep him in the net so he can't use that big size of his,'' Red Wings forward Johan Franzen said. "We have to make it hard on him from the beginning.''

Said defenseman Brad Stuart: "If he's feeling good and confident in there, that means we're not doing our job and disrupting him enough. I don't mean running into him. I mean getting in front of him and making it hard on him.''

Osgood, meanwhile, has played better down the stretch, going 6-4-1 with a 2.42 GAA and .913 save percentage his past 11 games.

"Statistically, I'm finally where I want to be the last 10 games,'' Osgood said. "I feel real sharp, exactly the way I want to play. That doesn't mean much unless I play good (tonight).

"The guys are going to score goals. I just have to be solid and make the big saves at the right time and give our team a good chance to win every night.''

Cleary or Leino
Red Wings forward Dan Cleary didn't practice Wednesday but is confident he will play tonight. Cleary sustained a lower body injury in Tuesday's practice on a hit from Niklas Kronwall. Tests were done, which he said "showed something,'' but nothing significant.

"Just wanted to get another day to feel a little better,'' Cleary said. "It's very minor.''

If Cleary can't play, Ville Leino will take his spot in the lineup. Leino was recalled from Grand Rapids (AHL) just in case, but will rejoin the Griffins if Cleary can play.